It is something magnificent to see Liberty North’s beautiful Performing Arts Theater nearly filled to the brim with people. Last Friday and Saturday, February 8 and 9, it was the much-anticipated musical production of Beauty and the Beast that had the theater full.
I personally had high expectations, and from the time the pit orchestra began to the time the cast took their curtain call, those expectations were not disappointed. Let me just take a minute to commend the pit orchestra: they did excellent. Any petty mistakes were overlooked for the fact that these guys were the musical backdrop for the entire play, and that the music they played was no walk in the park.
Lighting and special effects gave the musical a wonderfully enchanted feel. From the use of the fog machine to the well-timed lightning bolts, they added liveliness and character to the story. The set designs were impressive both visually and functionally. The focal point of the set for most of the play was the palace staircase, which served as a multifunctional backdrop and prop in many of the largest scenes and dance numbers. The other sets were just as fitting with the story, with one of my favorites being the village tavern, where the song “Gaston” was brought to life through the lively chorus of villagers and an exciting pots-and-pans drum solo courtesy of senior David Roelofz, who played LaFou.
I could easily go through the whole cast list and compliment every actor, but then we would be here all day. To touch on some highlights, senior Oscar Barasz, aside from just looking like Gaston, attributed the right body language, including a perfectly arrogant laugh. Sophomore Katherine Herrick’s clear singing voice enhanced her performance as Belle. The dialogue between Lumiere (played by senior Kenny Tran), Cogsworth (played by sophomore Jackson Lord) and Babette (played by junior Emily McFadden) was some of the best comic relief of the play. The Beast, played by senior Landon Walters, was given a new depth of character. To sum it up, everyone’s performance added life to the play.
Being the Disney production, all of the songs from the movie were performed, and then some. Of the songs performed that were in the movie, my favorite was the opening number, “Belle”. However, of the songs not from the movie, my favorite was “A Change in Me”, sung by Belle. This song, as well as the scene preceding it, added more to the story and character development of Belle. In fact, many of the non-movie songs, in my opinion, added more to the story than they took away.
If there is anything I could complain about in this play, it was that in some of the songs, I could hardly understand what they were saying, as it was often drowned out by the volume of the pit orchestra. Other than that, I, being a non-seasoned theater-goer, have no other negative comment. It was entertaining, it did the movie justice, there were no detrimental mistakes that I could see, and from start to finish, I fell in love with Beauty and the Beast all over again. It was a shame that the magic only lasted for two days; I doubt it would have been any less enjoyable a second time around.